Animation 10

About This Course:

​Grade 10 Animation is an introduction to the art form of animation. Animation is found in movies, advertising, video-games, computer software, websites and many more that are not mentioned here. Animation can be created manually through puppets, in a 2d format using media like paper drawings, computer drawings or cut paper, in stop-motion using clay, figurines or Lego, or in 3D using 3D computer software. A starting point for all animators is to understand not just how things look, but how things move regardless of the format that you are animating in. As this is an introductory course, we will be working on the foundational skills to create novel and unique animations.

Course outcomes:

The student is expected to develop skills in the following areas:

Students will develop drawing skills with skill building exercises.

Students will create drawings in 2D utilizing Adobe Flash.

Students will animate sequences utilizing Adobe Flash.

Students will create unique images and objects in Adobe Flash

Students will develop their own character sketches into characters in Flash.

Students will animate their own character with a walk-cycle.

Students will create a composite animation as a final project that showcases their work.

Evaluation: In this course you will be evaluated on project work and developmental work. Some work will be marked based on completion (developmental work) and other work will be assessed based on individuated criteria (project work). The breakdown of the marks is as follows:

Read this for the third page of butterfly tutorial!!!!!!

In your timeline you will have a blue highlighted bar for 25 frames on your butterfly layer. Drag the right hand side of this to frame 100.

With the timeline scrubber at the 100 frame, drag your butterfly from it's position on the right of the stage to the left of the stage.

At this point a motion path (blue line with dots) will appear connecting the start position and ending position.

Select this motion path by left clicking it and then press delete.

Insert a new layer on the timeline, name it path.

Use the Pencil tool (y) to draw a path on the path layer. Set the drawing mode to smooth at the bottom of the toolbar. You can overlap, but only by one pixel so try to be careful.

When you are happy with the path, double-click it with the black selection arrow then copy it (ctrl c).

Select the tween span (blue highlighted section in the timeline of your butterfly layer) and then paste the path. It will now show up as a motion path (a blue line with dots) and the butterfly object will be connected to it.

NOTE: Your tween will run from left to right as a default. If you wish to have it go the other way, simply go to Modify, Transform and Flip Horizontal.

At this point you can move the path around the stage and modify the path by stretching and dragging the line around for the start and finish line.

To make a faster moving butterfly, make your motion tween take less time in the timeline (45-75 frames). To make a slower one, make your motion tween take more time in the timeline(150-180 frames).

Play around and have fun with this, as motion tweens make your life much easier!

Motion Paths

Using motion paths animate an object of your choosing in the following way:

In a square

In a circle

In an arc

Bonus:

Add rotation to the object

Make the object shrink in size or grow along path

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Volleyball on the beach

​Due by the end of week 3Introduction to Storyboarding. Create a 2 X 3 Storyboard of your beach volleyball short. Remember that even though this is a short clip you are still telling a story for the audience. Are your characters happy? Are they aggressive and competitive? Are the losers sad, or angry or happy to keep playing? Are the winners happy or are they sore winners? Create the storyboard first and show to Mr. Kramer before you start to animate.

Use a beach background with a volleyball net.Animate a ball bouncing from side to side over the net.Have simple players jump up to hit the ball each time.Bonus:

spinning ball on contact

finish with the ball hitting the ground and a victory dance by the players

Flipping Card

​Due by the end of week 4Add a picture to a card, animate it flipping vertically and one with the image of a playing card(two separate files).

Spring or Fall (depending on season)

Due by end of week 5Create a spring-like (or fall-like) background with a grassy foreground. Animate a rising sun, change the colour of the sky as it rises (from a dark colour to a light blue). As it rises, animate a blooming flower using shape tweens for each of the petals (or a tree that is covered in leaves, the leaves will start falling one at a time to the ground using motion tweens and rotation). You can use the above images for inspiration, but ensure that you simplify the colours and shapes.

Bonus:​Animate a butterfly or bee flying onto the flower (or a woodchuck that pokes its' head out of the pile of leaves at the end).

Character Creation

Due by end of week 5Needs:

Original Character Pencil Drawing (of your own creation)

Scan drawing into your computer, save as jpeg

Import picture into flash and redraw as a vector using your own colour scheme

All components should be on their own layer:

​Head

Facial Features

Ears

Hair

Torso

Right Arm

Left Arm

Right Leg

Left Leg

Right Hand

Left Hand

Right Foot

Left Foot

Walk Cycle Instructions: Note the head and floor lines! (this should be over 24 frames)

Character Animation 2

Due by the end of week 8 (three files: walking, idle and jump)Create a new bipedal character or find one online

Rig the character using bones

Using Motion Tweens animate a walking cycle.

Create an idle cycle (as in video games)

Animate a jump from one point to another

Final Project

​Due by the end of the course.Using the information that you have learned, storyboard a 15-20 sec animation (360 - 480 frames).Check in with Mr. Kramer to ensure that your story is achievable in the time available.Animate a complete animation from your storyboard, if you make changes edit your storyboard as well.

Example themes you may consider (but are not limited to):

Skateboard accident

Buying, enjoying and then dropping an ice-cream cone

Dancing

Skydiving

Sports

Remember to keep the length and drawings to something manageable in the remaining time.